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Jackets Want Long-Term Deals For Richards, Staff

Posted Apr 29, 2014
by Aaron Portzline
| 0 comments

Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson and general manager Jarmo Kekalainen met with coach Todd Richards and his assistant coaches this morning in Nationwide Arena, barely 12 hours after the Jackets were bounced from the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Often, these "morning-after" meetings can be bad news for coaches, a handshake that includes a pink slip. But this was just the opposite.

"I told the coaches today that we, as an organization, would like to make a long-term committment to the whole group of them, because they've earned it," Kekalainen said. "It will bring stability to the organization.

"We'll start with Todd, because it's his staff. But we'll talk to him and go through the process and try to get him under a long-term deal, and then get his assistants (associate coach Craig Hartsburg, assistant coach Dan Hinote and goaltending coach Ian Clark) on board with contracts that are of the same length."

Richards is 85-70-16 since taking over the Blue Jackets halfway through the 2011-12 season, including a 43-32-7 record this season that included franchise records for wins (43) and points (93). The Jackets earned only the second playoff berth in franchise history, and earned the franchise's first two playoff wins.

The Blue Jackets were 11-25-5 under previous coach Scott Arniel when Richards was promoted to interim coach after Arniel was fired.

Only Ken Hitchcock (125) has more coaching wins for the Blue Jackets, but no coach has had a better winning percentage that Richards' .544.

The Blue Jackets were eliminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 4-3 loss in Game 6 last night in Nationwide Arena.

Richards was hired in Columbus by previous GM Scott Howson, and his future seemed murky at best when Davidson took over in November of 2012 and replaced Howson with Kekalainen the following February.

Both Davidson and Kekalainen have been impressed with Richards' role in helping to turn around the franchise in two short years.

"He sets the bar high," Kekalainen said. "We get better every day. A big part of that is (Richards), with his insights and his planning, the day-to-day requirement for work ethic that he has established for players.

"Todd doesn’t let guys take days off, and the assistants are the same way. It’s a demanding group, but it’s a fair group. That shows in how the team plays -- we've been honest, hard-working, well-prepared and hard to play against. We see it from inside the building, and people all around the NHL see it, too."

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